Dartmouth 84 Vermont 54
The Jekyll and Hyde season continues for Vermont as they were run out of the gym by Dartmouth this afternoon. One step forward, two steps back at every turn has the Cats hitting rock bottom and searching for answers. The things that stands out now reflecting on the non-conference is how the lack of team identity has meant that every time the Cats right the ship in one area, another area becomes a concern. Defense is strong, offense is weak. Offense starts to get going, defense disappears. Fix the turnovers, transition defense falls flat. I guess I jinxed today's game with my praise of the Cats perimeter defense as Dartmouth scorched the nets from three. It really has been Murphy's law in Catamount country this season. In a sequence that encapsulates the luck so far, TJ Long gets a nice steal, goes in for a layup, gets blocked, re-injures his knee, and Dartmouth comes down on the other end and knocks down a three. Snakebit. Maybe the Cats need to make a sacrifice to the basketball gods to reset their karma. Going to be a lot of refection and soul searching over the holiday break as Vermont again tries to hit the reset button and salvage the season with a run in the America East.
Happy Holidays to everyone!!
If we needed any more proof, the Cats are not a very good team. Suffering a 30 point beatdown by a Dartmouth team that had lost its last 4 games and giving up 84 points with a supposedly stellar defense does not bode well for the rest of the season.
ReplyDeleteI turned off the TV a few minutes into the second half. Unwatchable. Indescribably bad.
ReplyDeleteLikewise...cannot remember doing that for a Catamount game.
DeleteWhen this team gets down a few points, they don't have the firepower to recover. If Hurley isn't hitting his shots, they have no other reliable answers.
ReplyDeleteGroannn…my optimism has also hit rock bottom where it never has been. Their penetration is so minimal and with no bigs playing BIG, relying on 3s might win a game here or there.
ReplyDeleteAny hope in the conference is somehow finishing 4th and maybe, a remote maybe, they are the ones shooting “lights out” and they surprise the higher seed, and then maybe, a remote maybe, they play “lock down defense” from old and they steal another championship.
Becker has to look for a rabbit in the hat.
We haven’t known him to be seemingly clueless. That may be harsh because the players have to play consistently to their ability and that certainly isn’t happening, but for an honorable mention to Hurley.
They can win conference! What a great story that would be. Wont be easy, but if it goes through Patrick they will be favored. Nick is shooting the lights out. Great to see! UVM is better than this. Just lacking confidence and aggressiveness at the moment. Break will be good for them. Happy Holidays!
ReplyDeleteNo way to sugar coat it but our offensive plan the entire season has been in total disarray. I think the players would b better on their own than how they are currently being coached offensively.
ReplyDeleteAgain I would not doubt that this is a pivotal year regarding Becker's future. If miraculously they can win the AE, I see him staying. He loses, it may be time to go. Perhaps he loves VT and has no plans of leaving, but from a trajection standpoint, he must be considering his options. Dittos to the younger players who could transfer to greener pastures.
ReplyDeleteThey lose a lot of players to graduation this year and I don't see a lot of help on the bench. Will be a big time rebuilding job. Better get used to some lean years.
DeleteA losing record still doesn’t tarnish Becker’s reputation as a first class coach. What he and his staff have accomplished is absolutely remarkable. This is turning into an interesting season, but hidden within this struggle is still a good deal basketball yet to come. I don’t believe the Catamounts will roll over and play dead! Go Cats
DeletePitiful. They're not getting better. Now the defense is awful too.
ReplyDeleteThey are much better than they showed today ! No one as point guard it seemed . Hurley is great offensively but had a somewhat bad outing today . Look forward to conference play !
ReplyDeleteI think everyone is not being critical enough, especially the coaches. This team is completely unwatchable and it stems mostly from effort. It’s obvious to the naked eye they have been outworked and hustled every game this yr from auburn on. This game everything they’ve been awful at was glaringly obvious. How many wide open 3’s did Dartmouth take. Forget about making them they were all uncontested and that is strictly due to effort. That team is not more athletic than us and for them to get that wide open is just embarrassing. The same can be true on the other end, there is no urgency, purpose or execution on offense and that’s why everything seems like a struggle. Our shooters are never open and it’s because everyone is standing around, it’s not exactly hard to defend. For this team to be this bad is astonishing to me. Either Aaron deloney was just the glue and that much of a leader or there’s something more going on in the locker room. Honestly for me Becker should lay down the hammer on the upper classmen. Either play better or bench them. Who cares at this point? If this is the team we have might as well build for next year since there are 5 sr’s. If we lose Blake and Joba(who I’m tired off seeing him sitting) there are a lot of missing parts to have to fill. Lastly, next yr we need to bring in a dog. I don’t care about beckers defense first mentality, we need a guy who can take over stretches of a game. Hurley isn’t that guy….
ReplyDeleteBogues, Long, Fiorillo, Ileri all starters from last years team that won. Players who are clearly struggling to stay healthy. You are the one being to harsh. Conference has not even started yet. Happy Holidays!
DeleteI'm tired of hearing that something magical will happen once conference play starts. Unless the rest of the league stinks, the Cats aren't going anywhere this season.
DeleteBeyond the awful basketball, I am perplexed. This is, on the whole, the same team that won the AE last year- without Deloney. Did his leadership mean that much? It does show the importance of confidence and trust in each other. They do have an example of team trust and unity nearby- The National Champs. One thing is for sure- there are no teams out there that are going to feel sorry for the Cats, after so much dominance over the last decade. This is where we find out just how good a coach John Becker is.
ReplyDeleteYes, please stop talking about conference play. We’ve gotten killed by Dartmouth, Merrimack, and Yale, and looked bad against Iona, brown and Fairfield. Our conference is not a walkover anymore and with this type of play we may finish 5th behind Maine, Albany, Lowell and Bryant. As mush as I hate to say it but hopefully long is done for the season because he’s been a distraction and excuse. Same goes for Shamir, if he’s not a 100% bench him because his play has been terrible. Ileri hasn’t been hurt or known to be but he’s taken a major step back so play him less and let the other guys contribute. I’d rather see Joba make mistakes but learning than watching ileri try to be a 3 pt shooter in his last yr. The list goes on with this team but it stinks to be this far into the season and not having anything to root for or hope that you’ll even get a competitive effort…
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ReplyDeleteIt’s frustrating to see how John Becker has managed this season. He’s placed far too much trust in the upperclassmen while neglecting promising younger players like Blake and Joba. These are guys with the potential to make a real impact, but instead, they’ve been left on the sidelines with little opportunity to grow or contribute.
With most of the upperclassmen leaving soon, it’s concerning to think about what the future holds for this program. Losing talented young players to the transfer portal because they’ve been overlooked would be a huge mistake. If this approach doesn’t change, Vermont’s future on the court could take a serious hit.
It’s time for Becker to start developing and investing in the talent we already have before it’s too late.
We only are seeing Becker’s interactions through the lens of games. The coaching staff’s relationship with those promising young players is not really available for public consumption.
DeleteI see loads of potential in Blake. Joba not so much. I have higher hopes for Barnett. Whiffing in the portal appears to have been a death blow for the season. They'll need to do much better to compete next season.
DeleteI’m not sure is going on with this team. I’d give the seniors a few games to try to correct the course in AE play but start out with 3 tough road games to begin conference play. If no improvement is being made it would be wise to pivot to additional playing time. Next years squad
ReplyDeleteBarnett
Joba
Sammy
Hurley
Blake
Give these 5 a ton of minutes together and see what they can do.
That’s an intriguing lineup
DeleteWhile Alamutu has certain physical talents that may translate in the AE , I worry about his offensive capabilities, the big question mark are Long, Bogues and Odom ‘s health which will determine who should get the majority of minutes . where are Finn Sullivan and Dylan Penn when you need them ?
DeleteThat 5 doesn't strike fear into any opponent. Next season could be rough.
Deleteare we trying to strike fear or win games? Because the starting 5 that looked embarrassing against Dartmouth doesn’t exactly strike fear in anyone either
DeleteMaybe they can beat 0-11 D3 Elms College on Monday. Maybe. May skip that game - sounds like a stinker that shouldn't have been scheduled.
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